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Unemployment insurance funds should be prepared for the crisis.
That is the opinion of the Minister of Labor Eva Nordmark (S).
– I can only regret that people have to find their own ways to deal with their situation, he tells Aftonbladet.
Helen, 34, cannot afford to pay rent and buy food. Marcus, 31, and his wife have just had children and are forced to live on loans from friends. Andreas, 44, had to go to social services when the news of the unemployment insurance fund still did not arrive after 18 weeks. Maja, 43, is denied social benefits after receiving money through Swish.
Since the pandemic broke out this spring, Aftonbladet has reported on many of the Swedes who have suffered long wait times to receive unemployment benefits. About 17,000 people are waiting for information and the waiting time is four months on average.
– It horrifies me to hear these examples you report on. It is serious that people have to wait so long for their unemployment insurance to arrive. It is unreasonable and it is not the way it should go, says Labor Minister Eva Nordmark (S).
Photo: TT
Eva Nordmark, Minister of Labor (S).
The IAF, the Unemployment Insurance Inspectorate, recently started an audit of Alfakassan and two other unemployment insurance funds to review the long processing times. The minister believes that Alfakassan should have been much better prepared for a financial crisis.
– This crisis is exceptional, nobody could have foreseen it at the beginning of the year. But it is the responsibility of all unemployment funds to be able to scale when a crisis hits, he says.
Alfakassan’s treasurer says neither they nor the state were prepared to handle this social crisis. Is it a failure that the state has not been better prepared for a pandemic and its economic consequences?
– There was no one who could predict the pandemic, but this is not the first time that we are in a crisis and it is with unemployment insurance funds the responsibility to escalate. From my point of view, we have shot up to 100 million so that they have the conditions to shorten the processing times and we have given the most money to those who have the most. It is up to them to use them in the best possible way.
“It’s too complicated”
But the fact that many are forced to wait for information is also because unemployment insurance is too complicated, according to Eva Nordmark. Among other things, because those who have many different jobs have to present certificates for each of them.
– We want to simplify it and base it more on working hours than on the place where you have worked. It would be more efficient. It would have been great if we had it in place. But here and now wait times have to be delayed.
Photo: TT
People have had to wait months to get paid.
If you’ve run out of money, you can no longer borrow from family and friends, and social services deny you support. What do you think should be done then?
– I really understand that it is a very difficult situation for many. I can only regret that people have to find their own ways to deal with this difficult situation. It should not be like that. You need to be able to trust that insurance allows you to pay for rent and food.
Many people have worked and paid fees for several years and now they still have no support. They feel let down by the system in this crisis. What should you do to restore your confidence?
– I mean that most unemployment funds manage it well. Those who work are in a situation of pressure. It is not common in all unemployment funds. This is not how it should be, you should feel confident that you will get help if you need it.
– It is a problem for those people who have gotten into trouble, but the vast majority receive help from their unemployment insurance fund.
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